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Shadow defence industry minister Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has pushed back against the government’s narrative on productivity and defence spending amid the noise of the Treasurer’s economic reform roundtable this week.
This push-back comes following a speech by Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy at the Queensland Media Club which saw the remarks reignite debate over the Albanese government’s approach to defence spending and industry support.
Minister Conroy praised Australia’s defence industry, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, for their ingenuity in producing weapons and munitions domestically under challenging conditions. He commended the Australian Defence Force for successfully test-firing new missiles, describing it as proof of local capability.
However, critics argue the government is failing to provide the level of investment needed to build such capabilities at scale and speed. The minister’s references to funding “over the next 10 years” were seized upon as evidence that Labor is delaying decisions at a time of rising regional tensions.
The opposition’s spokeswoman for defence industry, Northern Territory, Senator Nampijinpa Price has accused the government of “talking big but spending small”, insisting that critical capabilities, such as offensive and defensive missile systems, drones, counter-drone technology and autonomous underwater vehicles, must be prioritised now rather than gradually introduced over the next decade.
Senator Nampijinpa Price said, “We need significant investment in defence – not over the decade, but right now – to equip our defence force with essential capabilities such as offensive and defensive missiles, drones and counter-drone technologies, and autonomous underwater vehicles.”
“Minister Conroy is right to commend the Australian Defence Force for the first firing of new missiles. But this is a distraction. He and the Defence Minister, Richard Marles, have not done the hard work to ensure that Australia is manufacturing missiles in their thousands,” she added.
The shadow minister also criticised Minister Conroy and Defence Minister Marles for avoiding explicit references to the Chinese Communist Party despite widespread acknowledgment that China’s rapid military build-up and increasingly assertive behaviour present the most significant strategic challenge to Australia’s security. Instead, the government continues to describe the environment in general terms as “complex” and “challenging”.
She detailed, saying, “It’s telling that, in Minister Conroy’s speech, he could not mention the Chinese Communist Party by name. As has become typical of the Albanese government, it’s incapable of being upfront with Australians about a great danger of our age.”
This reluctance, the Coalition argued, prevents Australians from fully appreciating the severity of the threat and diminishes public understanding of why increased investment in defence is necessary.
The speech comes amid a broader national debate over how much Australia should spend on its military. The Albanese government has committed to lifting defence funding to 2.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) by the early 2030s, up from around 2 per cent today. Critics, including former Defence officials and the opposition, say this is not enough given Australia’s strategic circumstances. They are calling for an immediate increase to at least 3 per cent of GDP – a figure that would bring Australia closer to the level of spending recommended by several independent reviews.
Senator Nampijinpa Price added, “The Coalition calls on the Albanese government to lift defence spending to at least 3 per cent of GDP as a matter of urgency – and to stop silencing a candid national debate on the dangers posed by the Chinese Communist Party’s military aggression in our region and its foreign interference in our country.”
Supporters of higher spending argue that without urgent investment in advanced strike weapons, resilient supply chains and greater industrial capacity, Australia risks being underprepared in the face of intensifying regional competition.
Others, however, caution that significant increases in defence spending will place additional strain on a federal budget already stretched by health, aged care, and cost-of-living measures.
For now, Minister Conroy maintains that Australian industry has shown it can deliver advanced capabilities, but critics say that without a substantial and immediate funding uplift, the government’s rhetoric risks running far ahead of reality.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
